Tag: NCAA Transfer Portal

Tim Lester discusses Iowa’s upcoming transfer portal plans

Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester touched on the Hawkeyes’ upcoming transfer portal plans.

Speaking with the media on Tuesday, Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester spoke about the program’s plans on how it will utilize the ever-evolving transfer portal.

When asked if the quarterback position would be a focus for the program when the winter window opens up on Dec. 9, Lester didn’t confirm that the quarterback position specifically is one that the Hawkeyes will be looking at.

“Yeah, I think every position in this state of college football. I think every position, every year, you have to look,” Lester said. “It’s coming and we’re definitely going to look into it. We’ve got to look at each position and there’s roster limits now, so there’s a lot of moving parts.”

Lester continued by sharing his excitement to learn more about the plan Iowa chief of staff and general manager Tyler Barnes and head coach Kirk Ferentz have formulated for the program’s transfer portal needs.

Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I know Tyler and Coach have been working hard on that. I’m excited to have a meeting later this week to learn a little bit about all the work they’ve been doing for the past six weeks. Just to kind of see where they think the holes are and we’ll have great discussion and figure out, but I think you have to look at every position on both sides of the ball every year. It’s just the new way of college football.

“But, we’re definitely going to meet about (the transfer portal). This is the week to meet and talk and figure out what the plan is. Once it opens up, we’re going to have to be active in it I think,” Lester said.

The winter transfer portal window officially opens on Monday, Dec. 9 and closes on Saturday, Dec. 28, meaning the Hawkeyes will need to solidify their plans quickly as the dates approach.

The NCAA’s Division I Council voted to shorten the transfer portal windows in FBS and FCS football from 45 to 30 days. The spring transfer portal window is April 16-25.

With Iowa (6-4, 4-3) currently on its bye week, the program will return to play on Saturday, Nov. 23, at the Maryland Terrapins from SECU Stadium in College Park, Md.

Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. CT and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network as well as the Hawkeye Radio Network.

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Derek Miller attributes ‘teamwork and sacrifice’ as reason why Aggies landed Nic Scourton

“When I look back on it, I am proud of the way people work together, positive attitude and willingness just to keep being gritty every day.”

In a recent interview with Carter Karels of GigEm247, football general manager Derek Miller recalled the process of how Texas A&M landed standout pass rusher Nic Scourton from Purdue in the NCAA Transfer Portal.

“I think what best encapsulates the whole thing that I joke about is Scourton’s announcement to get into the portal on December 26th at 9 a.m. So any Christmas holiday enjoyment — the next morning, the Scourton news was out there, and then we were trying to figure that one out,” Miller explained. “What encapsulates the time period is teamwork and sacrifice. It is the holidays. You are moving. I am not the only one who picked up, packed a bag and moved down here and said, ‘We will figure the rest out later.’

NCAA DI Council approves new transfer windows for football and basketball

NCAA transfer portal changes are effective immediately following the approval of proposed changes

In June, the DI Council introduced some changes to the transfer portal to help streamline and create stability across the board. With how fast things are evolving, the NCAA has been moving as quickly as possible to adjust to the uncertainty of NIL deals and players announcing transfer decisions in the middle of the season.

With recruiting being a 24/7 job, cutting the transfer window from 60 to 30 days can help teams manage their rosters better and prep for where they need to fill holes from the transfer portal. Spokesman Josh Whitman spoke on why they made the decision.

“With several years of data now available, we know that the vast majority of student-athletes are entering the portal within the first four weeks of it opening,” said Josh Whitman, athletics director at Illinois and chair of the council. “The NCAA remains committed to adjusting to the rapidly changing collegiate athletics landscape while continuing to keep student-athletes at the forefront of our decision-making process. These window adjustments met that standard.”

Below is the announcement on X.

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Could Matthew Sluka come to Notre Dame?

Could the disgruntled UNLV signal caller come to Notre Dame?

University of Nevada Las Vegas quarterback Matthew Sluka wants out after an allegedly promised NIL deal seems to have gone sour.

Could he end up in South Bend, playing for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish?

Sluka is sitting out after he says he didn’t receive a potential name, image and likeness (NIL) payment. The whole story is fascinating and provides insight into how NIL and the transfer portal have changed college football.

It’s worth reading about, but it has us wondering — if Sluka were to leave a competitive Running Rebels team, could he play for the Fighting Irish?

 

To be clear, we’re speculating, not reporting. Sluka has left the team because he believes he was owed money in a promised NIL deal from UNLV coaches. The school claims Sluka’s agent made demands it saw as potential violations of NCAA rules.

There’s no sign yet of Sluka’s future moves and no indication he’s heading to the Irish. Still, it’s fun to think about since current Fighting Irish starting quarterback Riley Leonard is a senior and will be leaving South Bend at season’s end. Leonard, like Sam Hartman before him, came to the Irish via the transfer portal. Sluka has a year of eligibility left now that he’s taken his redshirt year.

If Sluka enters the portal, a lot of teams will want his services. That very well might include the Irish.

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Duke outfielder Devin Obee set to enter transfer portal

Duke baseball will need to replace a major two-way player after outfielder Devin Obee opted for the transfer portal.

Chris Pollard and his staff will have a new hole to fill on their roster in the coming months.

Senior outfielder Devin Obee opted for the transfer portal and will leave the Duke baseball team after graduating this summer, according to a Tuesday report from D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers.

His name officially began appearing in the transfer portal database that same day.

The loss is significant for Duke from an on- and off-field perspective, as Obee was a leader amongst the team. As a junior, he was a terrific defender with great instincts and provided some significant power with 16 home runs last year alone. He also batted .309 with 11 doubles and two triples, one of two Blue Devils to reach all four of those numbers in 2024.

Duke has seen many departures from the program this past summer due to graduation, the MLB draft, and other transfers out of the program.

Chase Krewson, a terrific freshman expected to have a significant role in the future, opted to transfer to UCF. At the same time, Ben Miller shocked everyone by announcing his return to the Duke program for one more season. Pitchers Jonathan Santucci, Charlie Beilenson, and others were drafted to the professional ranks this summer.

With Obee on the way out, Duke will need contributions from players who played minor roles or weren’t even on the team last year to supplement guys like Miller, AJ Gracia, Kyle Johnson, and Ben Miller as they attempt to defend their ACC Tournament title and break through to Omaha for the first time in 2025.

Sooners add St. John’s transfer Glenn Taylor Jr

Oklahoma adds rising senior wing Glenn Taylor from St. Johns.

Oklahoma has been an active participant in the NCAA [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] this spring and summer. As the days inch closer to the start of the 2024-2025 season, the Sooners are still adding to its roster.

Over the weekend, news surfaced from the Oklahoma basketball program that JUCO transfer add [autotag]Jeff Nwankwo[/autotag] suffered a torn Achilles’ during summer workouts and has already undergone surgery. He’ll unfortunately miss all of the upcoming season.

In order to replace the athletic Nwankwo, the Sooners added added St. John’s forward Glenn Taylor Jr. on Monday. Taylor is a 6-foot-6 rising senior originally from Las Vegas. He averaged 4.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game this season for the Red Storm. Taylor began his career at Oregon State, playing his first two seasons in the Pacific Northwest.

 

Taylor’s calling card is on defense, where he can guard multiple positions along the perimeter. He is also a more than capable three-point shooter. He shot 45 percent from the field, including 42 percent from the three-point line.

He fits the perfect mold of a three-and-D wing. He has excellent athleticism and slashes to the basket, shooting 46% at the rim last season. His 10% assist rate last year is an understated aspect of his game. He routinely made the extra pass and was a seamless fit in any offense without being a primary ballhandler or play initiator.

Taylor is the seventh transfer portal addition overall for the Sooners this offseason. Oklahoma’s roster is officially complete for 2024-2025, and the Sooners are ready to rock and roll in their inaugural season in the SEC.

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Texas transfer Ryan Brown signs with Tennessee

Tennessee announces the signing of Texas transfer Ryan Brown.

Tennessee softball announced the signing of transfer infielder Ryan Brown on Thursday.

“I’m excited to welcome Ryan home to Tennessee,” Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly said. “She has a unique combination of power and speed that will remind our fans of recent Lady Vol greats. She comes from a family of outstanding athletes and knows what it takes to be successful at the top level of collegiate softball.”

Brown appeared in 11 games as a freshman at Texas in 2024. She recorded a .182 batting average, one home run, two RBIs, one run and two walks in 11 at-bats.

Brown went to Texas from Independence High School in Thompson’s Station, Tennessee.

PHOTOS: Lady Vols wear teal to honor legacy of Alex Wilcox

Mikala Compton/USA TODAY Network

Sooners formally announce Curtis Lofton as GM, partnership with Jake Rosenberg

Oklahoma announces partnership with Jake Rosenberg and Curtis Lofton is promoted to Oklahoma’s first-ever GM position.

The landscape of collegiate athletics is evolving at a pace that would impress even a superhero with superspeed like The Flash. Seemingly, something new is popping up weekly, and universities across the country are forced to adapt on the fly with little to no buffer periods.

Name, image and likeness licensing may be the biggest change to the college landscape. Its impact on the game has been certifiably seismic.

Oklahoma has embraced it head-on as a university and, more specifically, an athletic department. It has increased its name, image and likeness backing and used prominent Oklahoma figures to help endorse and spread the word about its importance to the fan base.

Internally, Oklahoma is also making sure it has leaders who can spearhead the Sooners trek through this brave new world.

To do that, the university announced Curtis Lofton as Oklahoma’s first general manager. It also announced a partnership with Jake Rosenberg, former Philadelphia Eagles vice president of football administration.

In short, Lofton’s announcement also included the formation of a football front office — similar to what you would see in the NFL. The focus is to keep Oklahoma’s football program at the forefront of talent analysis, acquisition and retention in this ever-changing landscape.

“We’re seeing things we’ve never seen before in the recruiting process,” football coach Brent Venables said in a statement released by the university. “To Oklahoma, we know how to adapt, and this new approach to managing our recruiting operations represents our forward thinking and agility. Winning takes all of us, and I am confident in Curtis and the rest of our staff and their commitment to continuing to elevate Oklahoma Football.”

Lofton will play a critical advisory role in identifying high school and transfer portal talent and building the overall roster makeup for Venables.

Rosenberg’s addition is to counsel the Sooners due to his partnership with The Athlete Group – a consulting firm designed to help sports programs solve their biggest challenges – where he is currently leading the agency’s efforts in collegiate sports.

In his 12-plus years with the Eagles, Rosenberg contributed critical oversight on player signings and acquisitions, salary cap management, contract negotiations, compliance with the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, roster building, strategic planning and more.

His wealth of experience and knowledge will be valuable assets to Lofton as he and Venables put their heads together to push Oklahoma in the right direction.

The hire of Lofton comes after he spent two years as the director with Oklahoma’s football’s SOUL mission player development program. SOUL mission works to create first-class, impactful student-athletes and prepare them to be servant leaders and sustain a lifestyle of winning. He also was Oklahoma’s NFL liaison.

“In today’s landscape, we know building teams and recruiting athletes requires more innovative thinking and focused leadership,” said Oklahoma Vice President and Athletic Director Joe Castiglione. “What we have in this new structure and our partnership with Jake is a path forward to position OU Football – and eventually, the rest of our programs – for success in the new world.”

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Matthew Dallas announces transfer destination

Former Tennessee baseball pitcher Matthew Dallas announces transfer destination.

Former Tennessee pitcher Matthew Dallas announced his transfer destination on Wednesday. He will play at Wake Forest in 2025.

“Go Deacs,” Dallas announced.

The 6-foot-5, 192-pound left-handed pitcher appeared in 15 games, including two starts, as a freshman at Tennessee in 2024. Dallas (1-0) recorded 22 strikeouts and a 4.76 ERA in 17 innings for the Vols.

He committed to Tennessee on July 1, 2020.

Tennessee (60-13) won the national championship, SEC Tournament and the SEC regular-season title in 2024.

The Vols will open its 2025 campaign in the Astros Foundation College Classic at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.

Tennessee, Texas A&M, Arizona, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State and Rice will make up the field. The Astros Foundation College Classic will be contested Feb. 28-March 2, 2025.

The Vols will play Oklahoma State on Feb. 28, while facing Rice on March 1 and Arizona on March 2.

Matthew Dallas. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Ole Miss transfer Liam Doyle commits to Tennessee baseball

Ole Miss transfer Liam Doyle commits to Tennessee baseball.

Ole Miss transfer pitcher Liam Doyle committed to Tennessee on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound left-handed pitcher appeared in 14 games, including nine starts, as a sophomore in 2024 at Ole Miss. He recorded 72 strikeouts and a 6.35 ERA.

Doyle transferred to Ole Miss from Coastal Carolina. He appeared in 23 games, including seven starts, as a freshman for the Chanticleers in 2023. Doyle totaled 69 strikeouts and a 4.15 ERA.

He is the second Ole Miss player to commit to Tennessee, joining infielder Andrew Fischer.

2025 will be the eighth season for Tennessee under head coach Tony Vitello. The Vols won the national championship in 2024.

PHOTOS: Tennessee baseball wins series against Ole Miss in 2024

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire